It takes a colony: Stronger together

Honey bees and other eusocial insects face a variety of challenges as a result of their sociality, an example being that increased proximity to others can cause increased pest or pathogen pressures compared to solitary individuals. However, on both an individual and colony basis, honey bees are commonly able to overcome these challenges in an impressive act of resilience through social immunity behaviors, among other methods. Sometimes other species, from human caretakers to supernutrient plants, also lend the bees a “boost.” As scientists, there is much that we can both learn from these interactions, and utilize in our own decision making processes, to inform us to conduct professional problem solving and take unconventional career paths.